Pope Francis (file)
Pope Francis (file)Flash 90

Pope Francis on Friday deplored the "escalation of violence affecting innocent civilians" in the Middle East, from Syria to Iraq, Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria, and urged the international community to act, AFP reports. 

Addressing a global Church summit on the family at the Vatican, Francis said he was praying for those caught up in conflicts across the region which "bring destruction and multiply people's suffering." 

"We are following with great concern what is happening in Syria, Iraq, Jerusalem and the West Bank [Judea and Samaria - ed.], where we are seeing an escalation of violence that involves innocent civilians and continues to fuel a humanitarian crisis of enormous proportions," the pope said.

He followed with an "urgent appeal to the international community to find a way to effectively assist the parties concerned and expand their horizons beyond their immediate interests." 

Francis spoke after an explosion of activity in Israel and throughout the region, including an unprecedented wave of Arab terror in the Jewish state. 

Meanwhile, Western tensions over the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria have escalated following Russia's intervention, including an intense air campaign.